In the 1880s, the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “Our era is an era of frenzy, and for this precise reason it is not an era of passion. It heats up constantly because it feels cold – essentially, it freezes.” The same could be said about our Europe in 2017: it is frozen. We are… » read more

In the European Commission, they like having the power but not the responsibility. They like pressure even less. As NGOs and certain journalists go after glyphosate, the Commission is muddling through and passing the buck to the Member States without any hesitation. It is worth recalling that before the Lisbon Treaty, Member States formally possessed… » read more

The Commission has just received more than one million signatures opposing glyphosate, the active substance which had its approval extended until the end of 2017. Since the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) conclusion that the substance is not carcinogenic, the Commission is leaning towards granting a new 10-year authorisation. And now we have a million EU… » read more

Below is an extract from an Euractiv report on a speech by a Commission Director at the European Parliament on 12 October 2016: Marie Donnelly, Director for Renewables, Research, and Energy Efficiency in the Commission’s Energy directorate, explained the reasons behind the decision to phase out first generation biofuels… In essence, she said the Commission… » read more

Given the sensitivity of the issue, I have to be careful and begin by stating that I have no interest, direct or indirect, with any of the players in this dossier which combines all the flaws of today’s EU governance: no objective science, full-on op between NGOs and industry, and an incomprehensible process. The book… » read more

Opened back in 2009, the “Orphacol file” is still not closed, despite three actions at the Court of Justice. What is to blame: the complexity of EU procedures or the Commission’s reluctance to recognise its errors of judgment? Probably a little of both! It is extremely rare to go to the Court of Justice three… » read more

In these times of complexity, opacity and political correctness, speaking openly is now more important than ever.

About: Daniel Guéguen

With 40 years of experience in EU public affairs, Daniel Guéguen is founder and Head of Strategy and Lobbying at PACT European Affairs.

In 1996 he created CLAN Public Affairs and the European Training Institute. Before this, Daniel was Head of the European sugar industry and Secretary General of COPA-COGECA, the EU farmers’ union lobby. Guéguen is Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges and Natolin, as well as at SciencePo Paris and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He previously taught at Georgetown University and Harvard Kennedy School. He is a renowned author of 15 books translated into 20 languages. Recent publications include: “Comitology: Hijacking European Power?” (2010), “Handbook on EU Secondary Legislation” (2012), “Reshaping European Lobbying” (2013) and “The New Practical Guide to the EU Labyrinth” (2015).